Muslim woman harassed, niqab pulled at govt hospital in Madhya Pradesh
Incident sparks anger over treatment of Muslim women in Indian public institutions
Bhopal: A Muslim woman was assaulted and threatened, and had her niqab pulled by a male security guard at a government hospital in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh while she was trying to access a public health service, triggering anger over the treatment of visibly Muslim women in state institutions.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Shaista, a resident of Khargone district, said the incident occurred at Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital in Indore while she was attempting to obtain an Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) digital health ID.
Shaista said the security guard tried to push her out, pulled at her niqab and threatened to record her after confrontation broke out during the registration process, local media reported.
“I was trying to get the ABHA card. The guard tried to push me out, pulled my niqab, misbehaved with me and threatened me that he would shoot a video of me,” she told the media.